Improvement in inkstands



; rrnn STATES SAMUEL HALL, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN INKSTANDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 158,066, dated December 22, 1874; application filed September 8, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL HALL, of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Inkstands; and that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

This invention is in the nature of an improvement in inkstands or vessels designed to hold writing or other fluids for offlce use; and the invention consists in securing several detachable fluid-receptacles on a base'plate by means of buttons, connected by a spring, as hereinafter described.

As a matter of convenience it is desirable to have the vessels containing the red and black inks and mucilage arranged so as to be as near together as possible, and yet of such form as not to be liable to upset. This, it is believed, I have accomplished, as will be seen from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a plan View of my invention; and Fig. 2, a side view of same, partly in section.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in both figures.

A is a ibundation-plate. This foundationplate may be made of glass, or any other suitable material, and is formed with asmall flange, a, on its edge, and is slightly convex on its bottom. Through the center of the plate A is a hole, 11. Passing through the hole b is a coiled spring, 0, with a button, d, secured to its lower end, so that it cannot be Withdrawn through the hole I), and to the upper end of this spring is also a button, 6, which is slightly convex. Resting upon the plate A are two or more ink-vessels, B. These vessels are of such size and shapeas, for instance, segments of a hemisphere-as that when they are placed adjacent to each other, and rest upon the plate A, their combined outlines will form a hemisphere, or other desirable shape, so that, when placed in this position, the entire device appears to be but one inkstand, when in reality it is made up of several. The several inkstands or fluid-receptacles are retained in their position on the baseplate by the button 6, which bears upon the upper surface of all the sections, in which position it is kept by the elastic force of the spring 0, and the flange a on the edge of the base.

If it is desired to use the several receptacles separate and apart from each other, the button e is simply raised from their surface, when the receptacles may be separated.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that a stand for red ink, and one for black ink, and one for mucilage, if desired, may all be grouped together Within a small compass; in fact, taking up no more room than would one ordinary inkstand, so that they will be in convenient position for use, the several receptacles combined costing no more than the ordinary inkstand, and yet presenting an ornamental appearance.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new. and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In an inkstand, the combination, with the detachable sections and base-plate, of the buttons and spring for uniting the same, substantially as specified.

SAMUEL HALL.

Witnesses:

H. L. WATTENBERG, G. M. PLYMPTON. 

